Operation Cisco

Operation Cisco was a US Marine Corps military operation of the Vietnam War which occurred in 1968.

Having secured Pleiku in Operation Flutter in 1967, the US Marine Corps sought to continue cutting off the communist forces' access to the Ho Chi Minh Trail; Kien Phong, Binh Long, Tuyen Doc, Pleiku, Quang Nam, and Quang Tri would have to be taken in order for the US to deny the communists their most powerful advantage. With Pleiku in US hands, the US Marines decided to focus on Quang Nam Province. However, they decided to attack Viet Cong bases across the Laotian border, where they hid in temple ruins and occasionally launched cross-border attacks on US and ARVN forces. The nature of the operation had to be kept secret, as Laos was officially neutral.

The US Marines fought to capture several temples from the Viet Cong, including the Crocodile Temple and the Dog Temple. The Viet Cong had little cover apart from destroyed temple walls, and the US Marines quickly overwhelmed layer after layer of VC defenses. The Viet Cong were unable to reorganize and form a solid defensive position, and they were repeatedly pushed back until their last base was captured. The battle was a quick US victory, securing them control of Quang Nam Province, but they suffered a higher body count than the Viet Cong, which disheartened the American public.